Mine shaft ore skip and cage changing device



March 6, 1934. D P AYER 1,949,399

MINE SHAFT ORE SKIP AND CAGE CHANGING DEVICE March 6, 1934. D. P. AYER MINE SHAFT ORE SKIP AND CAGE CHANGING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mm zrrell 'yel' Filed. May 23, 1955 Patented Mar. 6, 1934 MINE SHAFT ORE SKIP AND CAGE CHANGING DEVICE Darrell P. Ayer, Lead, S. Dak.

Application May 23, '1933, Serial No. 672,481

Claims.

5. installing in, and removing from, mine shafts ore skips and cages.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved carrier which will support the cage and the skip and will be movable to several positions above or in the mine shaft but will be locked against movement by the device which supports the cage and skip.

Other objects or" the invention relate to improved means by which the supporting and locking device is made capable of movement and in the construction and arrangement of carriage and supporting frame for the skip and cage.

VWith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an improved apparatus constructed according to the present in- Y vention. f

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 in Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 also in Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the frame or body of the carrier is constructed of steel or other suitable material and consists of two side members 1 joined together by the end members 2 and by a central or intermediate cross member 3. The various members may be secured to one another by rivets, bolts or other appropriate fastenings. The central member 3 divides the carrier into two compartments, one compartment located at one side of the central member for the skip 22 and the other compartment at the other side of the central member for the cage 23. As shown in Figures l and 4, the side members 1 of the carrier are supported by axle boxes 4 through which are journalled axles 9. On the axles are steel or other wheels 8 which run on the steel or other rails 25 appropriately supportedv above or in the mine shaft shown at 29.

Movable guides 7 are shown as bolted or otherwise afiixed to the side members 1 of the carrier. Four such guide members are illustrated and they are arranged in pairs in each of the compartments referred to and project down from the carrier between the rails to a considerable distance so as to register with the fixed guides 27 and 28. Either pair of movable guides 7 are adapted to register with the fixed guides 27 and 28 according to the position of the carriage.

(Cl. IS7-1) A pair of guide posts 26 is mounted at opposite sides of the rails and is formed with slots 262. One post is secured behind each of the movable guides 7 as shown in Figure 2. In other words, said guide posts 26 align with the shaft 29 and the fixed guides 27 and 28. To the carrier, outside the line of skip and cage travel, are secured vertical hangers or supports 5 to which are attached horizontal spreaders or connecting beams 6. One beam is placed preferably mid-way of the height of the hangers and the other connecting beam 6 acts to connect the lower ends of the hangers 5 thus providing a rigid frame depending from the carriage for receiving the skip or cage. This rigid frame extends both upwards and downwards for a distance greater than the length of the guide runners on the ore skip and cage.

Chairs 20 are supported by the carrier and are fixed on pairs of shafts 19 journalled in bearings 11 mounted upon the side members 1 of the carrier. These chairs 20 are adapted to support the mine skip or cage and to directly receive thereon the lugs 21 attached to the guide runners 40 of the skip 22 and cage 23 whereby to support the skip 22 and cage 23 in an upright position in the carrier.

When the chairs are turned out of the line of travel of the lugs 2l, or in other words when the shafts are rotated to swing the chairs 20 backwardly or out of the rectangular frame, such chairs are adapted to be received into the slots 26a of the guide posts 26 thereby locking the carrier from horizontal movement on the rails 25 and also locking the movable guides 7 from misalignment. The chairs 20, through the shafts 19, are operated by the handles and shafts 13, the shafts 19 being rotatable thereby through 189. The shafts 13 at their lower ends are adapted to rotate bevel gears 14; which mesh with 100 similar pinions 15 on the shafts 16 carried vby the end portions of the carrier frame. At the ends of the shafts 16 are bevel pinions 17 disposed in mesh with complemental bevel pinions 18 on the outer ends of the four shafts 19. The carrier may be driven along the rails 25 in any appropriate manner, for instance through the chain drive 41, from the electric or other motor 42 carlied by one end portion of the frame. The chain el runs over sprocket wheels on the armature shaft of the motor Zl2 and upon one of the axles 9. Appropriate gear reduction and reversible motor4 arrangements are provided.

Stops at the ends of the rails 25 act to limit the movement or travel of the carrier. In operation the installation and removal of ore skips and mine cages in and from the mine shaft by this mechanism is accomplished in the following manner:-

With the cage-23 operating in the shaft and '12 the ore skip removed from the shaft, as shown in Figure 1, the cage is hoisted by the hoisting engine into the carrier frame; the channel guides 40 of the cage 23 will slide up upon the movable guides '7 of the frame. The cage is hoisted until its lugs 21 are above the chairs 2O whereby to permit the chairs 20 to be turned out of the slots 26a of the posts 26, thus unlocking the carrier, and into the line of travel of the lugs 21. The cage is then lowered by the hoisting engine to permit the lugs 21 to rest upon the chairs 20. The hoisting rope is then disconnected from the cage 23 and the carrier is driven forward until the cage is completely removed from the shaft. The carrier is stopped when the ore skip is brought over such shaft. The hoisting rope is attached to the ore skip 22 and hoisted by the hoisting engine, thus raising the ore skip until the lugs 21 on the ore skip are lifted above the chairs 20 in lthe ore skip compartment. Such chairs are thereupon free to be rotated backwardly and upwardly and into the slots 26a of the posts 26, again locking the carrier against horizontal movement on the rails. The set of movable guides '7 in the cage com; partment have been removed with the cage, and the set of movable guides 7 in the skip compartment have been brought into service by this operation and are mating with upper fixed guides 27 and lower fixed guides 28.

The ore skip is now ready to ascend or descend. The removal of the ore skip and installation of the cage will be the reversal of this operation. It will be noted by this operation the mine shaft has been covered by the ore skip and cage while travelling across it.

The invention provides a carrier built into compartments of such inside dimensions as will permit the ore skip and cage to pass while ascending or descending a mine shaft or vertical passage, or in which they can be suspended or held while being installed or removed from service and retained while out of service. The device will be oi such outside dimensions as will permit its travel forwards and backwards across the mine shaft or vertical passage in a horizontal direction without interfering with other shaft compartments or structure. The device permits of the full removal of the skip and cage from the line of travel in the vertical shaft.

The movable guides are rigidly held in the rigid frame suspended from the carrier so that they maintain a correct position parallel with one another and adapted to mate unerringly with the upper and lower fixed guides when the carrier is operated forwards and backwards.

The invention is also intended to cover the use of chairs independent of the carrier by installing such chairs in the side of the shaft for use in supporting a mine skip during the loading operations to relieve the hoisting cable of undue strain, or suspending the cage or skip in any desired place while at rest or loading or unloading.

When used for this purpose the chairs would be placed on each side of the shaft and engage with the lugs on the skip in the same manner as in the carrier.

It will be obvious that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details, except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is:-

1. In a mine having upper and lower flxed guides, a supporting structiu'e having rails, a carrier movable on said rails across the mine shaft, movable guides supported in pairs by said carrier for moving into and out of alignment with said fixed guides, an ore skip and cage having runners movable on said guides and having lugs, the pairs of movable guides being so formed and arranged that one pair receives the ore skip, and at the same time, the other pair receives the cage, and movable chairs on said carriage for receiving said lugs to support the ore skip and cage.

2. in a mine having upper and lower fixed guides, a carrier, means for supporting said carrier for horizontal movement back and forth across the mine shaft, movable guides supported by said carrier and adapted to be shifted into and out of alignment with said fixed guides, an ore skip and cage having runners movable on said guides and provided with lugs, shiftable chairs on the carrier for supporting said lugs,

and fixed posts adjacent the carriage having slots riage against movement, and means for moving I said chairs into and out of said slots and into and out of the paths of said lugs.

4. In a mine having upper and lower fixed guides, a carrier, means for supporting said carrier for horizontal movement back and forth across the mine shaft, movable guides supported by said carrier and adapted to be shifted into and out of alignment with said xed guides, an ore skip and cage having runners movable on said "its guides and provided with lugs, shiftable chairs on the carrier for supporting said lugs, fixedl posts adjacent the carriage having slots to reoeive said chairs whereby to lock the carriage' against movement, shafts journalled on the carriage to which said chairs are fixed, and means at the end portions of the carriage for rotating said shafts whereby to move the lugs into and out of the slots in said posts and into and out of the paths of said lugs.

5. 1n a mine having upper and lower fixed,

guides, a support, rails on said support, a carrier, wheels on the carrier travelling on said rails, hangers depending from said carrier, cross beams secured to lower portions of said hangers for forming a carrier frame to receive an ore skip and cage, a plurality of pairs of movable guides affixed to said carrier and to said beams and adapted to move into and out of alignment with said fixed guides, movably mounted chairs on said carrier at opposite sides of said movable guides,

means for moving said chairs, xed devices for cooperating with said chairs in one position to lock the carriage against movement, and lugs on the ore skip and mine car for resting on said chairs.

DARRELL P. AYER. 

